Improvement in steam-whistles



l. RIEPPEL.

Steam-Whistles.

Patented Aug. l10,1875.v

.FLTERS. PNmLrruOGRAPgER, WASHINGTDN D C PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RIEPPEL, OF RENOVO, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-WHISTLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,479, dated August10, 1875; application tiled June 26,1875.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN RIEPPEL, of Renovo, in the county of Clintonand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in SteamWhistles; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecication.

This invention relates to improvements in steam -whistles5 and consists,first, in making the bell with a contracted mouth; second, in causingthe steam-jet to be projected in the form of a cone, so as to strike.the edge of said bell at an angle, instead of vertically, asheretofore; third, in tting the bell to slide upon its stem instead ofbeing screwed upon it, as heretofore; fourth, in seating said bell uponan elastic seat, so as to admit of an easy adjustment by means of a nutbehind it.

That others may fully understand my improvements, I will moreparticularly describe them, having reference tothe accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of the whistle; Fig.2, a perspective of the same.

A is the steam-pipe, with the ordinary valve a and stem b. At the ripperend of the pipe A the same is enlarged to receive the cap B, which isscrewed into the pipe A, and forms therewith the annular steam chamberor duct C, into which the steam enters through small4 ports through thebase of the cap B, as shown by dotted lines. The annular slit throughwhich the steam escapes is formed between the -edge of the lip d of thecap B and the upper edge of the lip e of the steam-pipe A. The opposingsurfaces of these two lips-are so made that they will together form aproper jet for the issuance of the steam in a thin sheet incliningslightly upward, and forming a hollow cone. The base of said cone is thepoint where the steam-jet impinges against the mouth of the bell D. Thehollow stem g projects upward from the cap B, to receive and guide thevalve-stem b, and to support the bell D, and is provided with an annularshoulder, h, to support the seating-spring E, upon which said bellrests. Above said shoulder the surface of the stem cast whole, andturned ou't in the usual man-V ner; but I prefer to construct it with acastmetal head, K, provided with a hub, Z, which is bored accurately tot the stem g above the shoulder h. The side 'm of the bell may be madeof sheet metal brazed to the head K, and provided at the lower end witha lip, n, turned inward to form a contracted mouth, against which thesteam-jet impinges. The hub l rests upon the spring E, which has itsseat upon the shoulder g.l This affords an elastic seat for the bell,and enables the nut t' to adjust it up or down with the utmost ease andnicety. The valve-stem b is operated by a lever, L, in the usual way.

The advantages resulting from this mode of construction are several.First, as heretofore constructed, the steam chamber and jet was equal indiameter to the bell. I make it much less in diameter, and by the cap Bit is more easily and cheaply made. Second, the hub l is more easilyfitted to the cylindrical stem g than to a screw-stem, as heretofore;and the use of lthe elastic seating-spring E and nut i affords a moreeasy adjustment and with less cost in preparation. Third, the contractedmouth of the bell causes an increased volume and depth of sound, with anequal expenditure of steam, because the diameter of the steam-jet is notdependent upon the diameter and capacity of the bell.

The bell with a contracted mouth may with equal advantage, so far asvolume of sound is concerned, be employed with the ordinary cylindricaljet.

Having. described lny invention, what I claim as new isi l. Asteam-whistle bell constructed with a contracted mouth, combined with asteam-jet less in diameter than the body of said bell.

2. The bell D, with the contracted mouth n, combined with the conicaljet d e, as set forth.

3. The bell D, constructed with the hub l, tted to the cylindrical stemg, as described, and combined with an adjusting-nut, t', and aseat-spring, E, to hold said bell against said adj usting-nut, as andfor the purpose set forth.

JOHN BIEPPEL.

Witnesses:

CEAS. P. WILKINSON, JOHN REILLEY.

